SuitabookAce of Spades
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- Reading
- You could read alongside the reader in short sections, pausing after major revelations to discuss evidence and trust. Afterwards, separate the thriller’s suspense from its treatment of racism, identity and institutional power.
- Themes
- Trust under surveillance: Devon and Chiamaka become allies while someone publicly exposes private information about them and the wider student body. The mystery makes suspicion and distrust central, while the protagonists’ alliance offers a counterpoint based on mutual investigation and support.
- Racism and institutional power: The two central Black students attend a prestigious, predominantly white school and face pressures connected with that environment. The book uses thriller conventions and metaphor to shed light on anxieties some Black students face in predominantly white institutions; the critique is clear, though its full argument is not supplied.
- Identity, disclosure and acceptance: The book includes discussions of coming out, a teen questioning their sexual orientation, and a coming-out scene involving a frightened teen and a supportive parent. Supportive family care is explicitly highlighted, while homophobia and violence towards boys discovered kissing are also present, creating a contrasting treatment of acceptance and prejudice.
- Worth knowing
- Before choosing it, consider whether the reader is comfortable with sexual references and a sex tape, coming-out and sexual-identity discussions, strong language including a racial slur, and scenes of assault, strangling, execution and building destruction.